Friday November 19th, 2004

Intelligence in the system:Fleet telematics has the power

Article by Tim Moran Excerpt

Publication: Telematics Update Issue 28 June-July 2004

So, too, do systems that amplify what’s already present in vehicles. Netistix Technologies Corp., of Kanata,Canada, is one that sees harmony between already-existing in-vehiclesystems and telematics. Its FleetPulse vehicle relationship management system plugs into the on-board diagnostics (OBDII) port – which, other than the cigarette lighter powerpoint, is probably the most universally available gateway in vehicles.

From there, Netistix can use remote access wireless to pull down odometer readings, fuel consumption and safety information when a fleet vehicle comesin range of a wi-fi point, like a refueling station. When does the vehicle idle, and for how long? What acceleration patterns are there? Are transient sensor fault codes that indicate future break-downs being noticed by the on board computer?

While the automotive regulatory community hasn’t quite answered the question of access through the OBD port, and questions of who owns in-vehicle data remain for the general personal vehicle fleet, the use gets around the embedded system questions with a practical and elegant plug-in.